Conventionally, electrical connectors are widely used to be mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) for interconnecting the PCB and other electrical circuits. This type of electrical connector comprises contacts having tine portions to be inserted into throughholes or onto solder pads of a printed circuit board and contact portions engaging with contact of a matable connector, and a housing having the contacts disposed therein. In installing such electrical connectors on a circuit board, it is typical to pick up each electrical connector by a robot or the like for mounting it on the printed circuit board by inserting the tine portions into the throughholes or onto the solder pads of the printed circuit board before soldering thereto.
Flux is generally accompanied with the soldering operation, which may flow onto the contact portions of the contacts, thereby resulting in defective electrical engagement with the corresponding contact in the matable connector. This means that attention must be paid in soldering so that no foreign materials are located on the contact portions of the contacts.
European Publication No. 0 060 644 discloses a cover that is removably mounted on an electrical connector housing in which electrical contacts are retained, the cover includes a contact-engaging section that extends into a cavity of the connector housing and engages contact sections of the electrical contacts whereby the cover serves as a tool against which a force is applied to drive post sections of the electrical contacts into through holes of a circuit board.
European Publication No. 0 0548 583 discloses a cover for automatically mounting electrical connectors to a circuit board by a vacuum-suction nozzle wherein the cover includes a top plate to which the vacuum-suction nozzle can be applied, and flexible arms of the cover include hooks that engage opposing walls of a connector housing. The top plate extends over pin-like terminals projecting from an upper surface of the connector housing.